Monday, April 30, 2012

Pappu Chekkalu /Pappu Billalu are the famous South Indian savory . Even though it is a traditional one ,it has a plenty of combinations and variations in its preparation . This is one of those variations ,simple to prepare and mouth watering savory . These are perfect munchables and loved by all ages. We in Andhra , use to make these for our festivals and used to distribute with our dear ones.

Mix all the ingredients in a bowl along with onion chilli paste and soaked chana dal except oil.

Add water little by little to the mixture to form a soft dough .The dough should be soft enough that when presses with hands to make a chekka it should not break at the edges .

Take a plastic sheet , apply a drop of oil to it , pick a small lemon sized ball from the dough ,place on the oil sheet and make a 2" round circle using your fingers .

Heat oil in a heavy bottomed vessel , once the oil is heated , test the oil with dropping a pinch of dough into it. When the oil started bubbling , peel the chekkalu from the plastic sheet , and drop it slowly into the oil. You can add 5-6 for one time for a medium sized vessel.

On a medium flame , keep turning them to both sides once a while till they turn golden brown.

Once they turned desired color , remove them from the vessel using a slotted laddle and place them onto an oil absorbent paper.

Repeat the same till the dough completes.Cool them and store in a air-tight container.

Friday, April 27, 2012

Here I am again with king of vegetables.. A traditional, yet a yummy and an aromatic dish. Vangi Bhath ( Egg plant/Brinjal rice ) is a popular south Indian rice item made using brinjals and a special spice powder. The flavor of the freshly grounded powder with cooked brinjals gives a rich aroma that once you start eating you can't stop with one serving. I have added fried potato pieces to enrich the taste.

Ingredients:

Making powder :

Chana Dal : 2 tblspn

Dhania : 1 tblspn

Urad dal : 1 tblspn

Coriander Seeds : 1 tblspn

Cumin Seeds : 1 tspn

Cashew : 3

Red Dry Chillies : 4

Dry coconut : 1 tblspn

Sesame seeds : 1 tblspn

Cloves : 2

Cinnammon : 1" stick

Oil : 1 tspn

Heat a pan , dry roast sesame seeds until it releases a nice aroma and keep it aside.

Heat oil and roast all other ingredients except coconut until they turned to golden brown color.Turn off the stove add coconut ,give a quick stir and let it cool.

Grind all the ingredients including sesame seeds .

Making of Vangi Bhath :

Ingredients:

Brinjals : 3

Rice : 3 cups

Potato : 1

Onions : 2

Mustard : 1 tblspn

Cumin seeds : 1 tblspn

Urad dal : 1 tblspn

Asefoetida : a pinch

Turmeric : a pinch

lemon : 1/2

Coriander leaves : few

Procedure:

Cut the brinjals , into long strips , add them to the water mixed with salt and turmeric.

Also cut the potato into long strips and deep fry in oil until they become crisp and keep aside.

Monday, April 23, 2012

Uggani also called Borugula upma is a very easy and quick to prepare breakfast recipe which also tastes good .This is a special breakfast of Andhra and some times, a snack too. Hot hot Mirchi Bajji is a good combination with this . Try it .. :)

Ingredients:

Borugulu (Puffed rice) : 5 cups

Onion : 1 big

Tomato : 1 small

Green chillies : 3-4

Mustard : 2 tspn

Cumin : 2 tspns

Ground nuts : 1/4 cup

Urad dal : 1 tblspn

Curry leaves : few

Salt : as required

Turmeric : a pinch

Asefoetida : a pinch

Lemon : 1 medium

Oil : 2 tblspn

Senagala Podi : 3 tblspn

Procedure :

Soak Borugulu in enough water for 15 mins and squeeze all the water from it .Keep it aside.

Thursday, April 19, 2012

Most of the kids , including me :) when I was kid do not like eating beetroot . Amma used to try diffrent varieties with this colourful vegetable like talimpu , juice , halwa , paratha . Now most of them are my favourites . This is one , very colorful and easy recipe. Kids will definitely love eating this, and may ask for more even :) . Here is the delicious one before you .Prepare and enjoy its delightful taste

Friday, April 13, 2012

Wanna have a healthy, yet tasty smoothie... Here it is for you.. Oats Banana smoothie.. No introduction is needed for Oats or Banana.. So, lets get into recipe straight.. :) This smoothie is the one blended with Oats , Bananas , curd n milk which is little different from the regular milkshakes .Best choice for the summer who doesn't like taking oats, curd or milk directly.

Thursday, April 12, 2012

Ribbon Muruku is a traditional Andhra savoury mainly prepared at the time of festivals. With changing times, people started doing this as regular snacks. I still remember Amma makes these in bulk and pack it for me and my friends when i used to stay at hostel in my college days. Of course, we used to complete everything in one day.. ha ha ha . Since am living away from the country, Amma cannot send me all those.. I had to prepared it this time :) ..

Ingredients:

Roasted gram : 1 cup

Rice flour : 3 cups

Salt : nas per taste

Chilli powder : as per taste

Sesame seeds : 2 tblspn

Oil : for deep frying

Ghee : 2 tblspn

Muruku Press

Procedure:

Grind roasted gram using a mixer or blender to make a fine powder. Sieve the powder and keep aside.

Add water in small amounts to make a soft dough. The dough should be soft so that when pressed from the "muruku press", it should come out smoothly.

Take the "muruku press" , add the ribbon muruku plate to it. Fill the dough in it upto 1/2 of the press.

Heat oil in a kadai /heavy bottomed vessel .Once the oil is heated , reduce the flame to medium and press the "muruku press" in circular motion to form layers of dough in kadai until the dough in the press is finished.

The oil starts bubbling .Fry it on a medium flame until the color changes to golden brown.

Once the muruku turns its color , then turn over the mukuru to the other side carefully. Let it fry on the other side also till it changes to golden brown color. Remember to fry on a medium flame only.

Now remove it from the oil and place on a tissue paper to obsorb the excess oil.

Repeat the same with the remaining dough . Let the muruku cool down and store it in a air -tight container to maintain the crispiness and freshness for a longer time.

Wednesday, April 11, 2012

This is a simple and authentic chutney made from the times of granny's..This is very simple and easy to prepare. There are two ways of doing this.Using curd and with out curd . Adding veggies like potatoes , carrots , peas with out curd tastes good with dosa and poori's and the one with curd and onions goes well with roti or chapati..

Tuesday, April 3, 2012

I like to make simple and quick stuff for my husband's lunch box due to morning rush. Everything has to finish it in 15 mins. I keep trying many variations using different kinds of vegetables . This is one of those simple and quick recipe, which turned out to a delicious one.